The Kim and Poe Show

Esther Kim and Kay Poe arrived at a Houston sports club lastThursday ready to kick up a storm. It was the pair's first dayin a gym together since the U.S. taekwondo trials in May, atwhich Kim, the No. 2-ranked U.S. Olympic flyweight, relinquisheda sure berth in Sydney to her injured best friend, Poe, theworld's No. 1, by bowing out of their final match. In Houston,after three warmup kicks, Poe felt a pop in her left knee--thesame knee she had hurt in the trials. She took Kim's arm andwalked gingerly out of the aerobics room and over to the stairmachines. "If she has to, she can just kick with the other legfor today," Kim said.

After four weeks of rehab, Poe's toughest foe is time. She willneed all her kicks in Sydney. On Thursday, Poe spent 30 minutesclimbing, then returned to the aerobics room, telling herself, Iwon't listen for more pops. Soon her feet were flailing thekicking paddles. "I knew Kay wasn't hurt enough to stop," saidKim. "I know her like she's my sister."

At the trials Kim made the sort of sportsmanship-affirminggesture usually reserved for siblings. Poe, 18 and theoverwhelming favorite in her weight class, had dislocated herleft patella when she banged knees with Mandy Meloon in theirpreliminary match, which Poe won. Kim, 20, joined Poe in aholding area and helped ice her friend's knee an hour before thetwo would face each other for the Olympic berth. Then she sawPoe's futile attempt to stand, and the words just came out:"Kay, what if I just bow down to you when we get in the ring?"Poe said no, and the pair spent the next half hour fightingabout not fighting.

"We have to fight," Poe said.

"Don't argue," Kim said.

"I'm sorry."

"Shut up. Quit apologizing."

"What?"

"I don't know, just shut up."

"I'm sorry."

On Thursday, Kim recalled sitting next to her friend in the ringafter having bowed down and thinking, This is the first time inmy life I really feel like a champion. The next week IOCPresident Juan Antonio Samaranch invited Kim to attend the SydneyGames, with her father, at committee expense.

It's been 11 years since the Halloween party at which Kayintroduced herself to Esther, took her hand and didn't let gountil the party ended. From then on the two shared notes onhomework and boyfriends and rarely missed meals together. RecallsKim, "We'd laugh like we never laughed around anyone else."

On Thursday, perhaps on a sugar high from three shared desserts,Kim and Poe started conducting a giggly grilling of theirinterviewer, leaving him red-faced and overmatched. "Sorry, I'monly like this around Esther," Poe said. "Sometimes it takesfriends to bring out the worst in you."

Or the best.

--Brian Cazeneuve

COLOR PHOTO: CHRIS COVATTA Poe has always been able to lean on Kim, who sacrificed Sydney for her.

Before he became the premier postseason performer of his generation, the Patriots icon was a middling college quarterback who invited skepticism, even scorn, from fans and his coaches. That was all—and that was everything